Geez, Aly, way to bury the lead there…
Nah, I made you all wait long enough. 😉 In case you missed it in the video, Prince of Deceit has an official release date: December 21, 2020. I hope you’re ready, because the end of this saga is going to get dark, bloody, and intense.
And I didn’t realize it when I set the date, but it’s eerily fitting for this particular book. You see, December 21 is the day of the winter solstice, or Midwinter. It marks the longest night of the year, the end of the dark and the beginning of the return of the light. The dawn of a new age, so to speak. If you remember that far back, chapter one of The Royal Wizard began with the Midwinter celebration in Wilderheim. Now, with this final chapter, the story has come full circle to end on Midwinter in our world.
I don’t have to tell you it’s been a long, emotional journey to get to this point. The Dawn of Ragnarok series began as nothing more than a dream I had as a child, and I never thought it would ever be anything more than that. Now, I can’t imagine a world where these books don’t exist. They’re a written record of a parallel world into which I’d been granted the privilege of the briefest glimpse. It’s become my favorite escape, and I can only hope I’ve done it justice. And I hope it brings some excitement to your holidays this year.
eBook preorders for Prince of Deceit are now available at Smashwords, Apple Books, and Kobo, with more retailers hopefully coming soon. Print is a little trickier for pre-orders. I’m researching some options to make sure there is time to order copies in time for Christmas. Unfortunately, there may be some delays with delivery this year, due to COVID-19 precautions and reduced staffing at all facilities. As for the audio version, I had hoped to have that ready to release at the same time as digital and print, but sadly, too many delays happened, so the audio edition likely won’t make it into production until next year.
Dawn of Ragnarok
THE COMPLETE SERIES
One more thing...
Those who are signed up for my Newsletter already know this, but I have another bit of good book news to share.
Since I wasn’t able to get one audiobook done, I decided to do another. Virtual will be making its debut on audio on November 23, 2020. This is my first audiobook narrated by a male voice, and Steve Campbell has done such a phenomenal job with it I can’t praise him enough. He’s really brought the characters to life and had me looking for more projects to send his way. I’m a detailist with very specific ideas on how I want my books to sound. I chose a British female narrator for the Dawn of Ragnarok series, because that’s the tone and feel I hear in my head for fantasy books.
Science fiction is a different animal, far better suited to a male voice in my head (especially since it’s set in the present day U.S.), so I was overjoyed to have such a talented narrator take it on. It’s amazing. I’m repeating myself, but I’ll say it again. It’s freaking amazing. Enjoy the sneak peek preview below to see if you agree. 🙂
This year hasn’t turned out anything like what I’d planned. Figures. Any time I make an outline, the story goes everywhere but where I want it to go—now in real life, too. 2020 will definitely go down in history for so many terrible reasons, but I sincerely hope that, wherever you happen to be, this post has found you safe, healthy, and doing well. I hope you were able to find at least some good in this miasma of disasters. My wish for all of you is that things only get better from here on out; that this is the darkest dark and, when Midwinter comes, it ushers in a new age of light, beauty, and good magic. I know it hasn’t seemed like it for a long time, but there is still so much good in the world, so many things to look forward to.
“When it rains, look for rainbows; when it’s dark, look for stars.” (Oscar Wilde)
Until next time!